finance Archives - Malloy Industries

An image representing the central decision between the direct cash flow method and the indirect cash flow method for a business, with a focus on unlocking strategic growth.

Direct vs. Indirect Cash Flow: Which Method Unlocks Strategic Growth?

You’ve poured your heart and soul into building your B2B company, and you’re seeing the fruits of your labor in a strong profit and loss statement. But have you ever felt like there’s a piece of the puzzle missing? That even with profitability, the cash flow isn’t quite adding up? Understanding how cash moves through your business is paramount for strate gic decision-making, and that’s where mastering the direct and indirect method comes into play. This is ultimately a story about how cash moves—your day-to-day movement of cash and the longer-term changes in cash that shape strategy. Understanding Cash Flows

Is a Fractional Bookkeeper Right for You?

A fractional bookkeeper handles your day-to-day financial records part-time, for a fraction of a full-time hire, so your books stay clean without you living in spreadsheets. If you've crossed about $1M in revenue and you can't quickly answer "how much cash do we have right now?", that's the signal you've outgrown DIY bookkeeping. Here's how to tell whether a fractional bookkeeper is the right next step for you. The Signs You've Outgrown DIY Books You spend hours wrestling with spreadsheets that should go to sales, strategy, or product. You have a nagging feeling your numbers are "off" but no time

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Fractional Financial Services: Which Role Solves Your Business Pain?

If you're working in your business instead of on it, watching cash flow like a hawk, and losing nights to spreadsheets, the problem is usually that you're wearing the finance hat alone. Fractional finance gives you part-time access to the exact level of expertise you need. The trick is matching the role to your pain. Here's how to tell which one you need. Before you decide, grab our Finance Cheat Sheet to see which numbers each role owns. The Gap Most Growing Companies Hit Most B2B companies reach a point where they've outgrown basic bookkeeping but aren't ready to pay

SaaS Fractional CFO: Strategic, On-Demand Financial Leadership

If you run a SaaS company, financial expertise isn't a luxury; it's the difference between scaling and stalling. But you may not need (or be able to afford) a full-time CFO yet. A fractional CFO gives you senior, SaaS-literate financial leadership part-time: someone who can steer funding rounds, manage burn, and build a sustainable growth model without a full-time salary. Here's what they do and when to bring one in. What Is a SAAS Fractional CFO? A fractional CFO delivers C-suite financial strategy on a flexible, part-time basis, functioning as a member of your executive team rather than a one-off

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Calculated Cost-Cutting to Maximize Profit Without Sacrificing Performance

Introduction: In our last Business Bite, we explained 5 Strategies to Drive Revenue Growth, and now you’re going to learn 5 Strategies to Cut Costs. Let’s begin by explaining the difference between strategic costs and non-strategic costs. Strategic costs clearly bring in business and improve bottom line, such as salespeople, advertising that works, and commercializable R&D. Non-strategic costs are all the other costs, such as admin, managers, rent, software subscriptions, consultants, lawyers, accountants, computers, office supplies, etc. Great organizations will outspend competitors on strategic costs (as % of revenue) in good times and bad times. This requires intelligence and judgment.

Illustration of a hand watering a patch of growing dollar bills, representing building business value over time

Make Your Business Valuation a Priority

Knowing what your business is worth isn't just for the day you sell; it's the number that should inform major decisions years before any transaction. A current valuation tells you where you stand, where value is being created or destroyed, and how to steer toward the outcome you want. Here's why to make it a priority and how often to do it. What a Business Valuation Is A valuation is a professional analysis of what your company is worth. It goes deep on your financials and on the company- and industry-specific factors that move value: risks, value destroyers and enhancers,

The Finance Cheat Sheet: 90+ KPIs on One Page

This is the closest thing to a finance textbook compressed onto a single page, and it's required reading for you and everyone you work with. It clearly explains 90+ key performance indicators across the areas a CEO has to understand: accounting, cash, balance sheets, SaaS metrics, CapEx, headcount, manufacturing, inventory, FP&A, finance terms, cost reduction, the cash conversion cycle, valuation techniques, and more. Download the Finance Cheat Sheet (PDF) Keep it next to you in board prep, investor conversations, and any meeting where a number you don't recognize gets thrown around. It's free. Who Made It This cheat sheet was

Grant Writing: Tips, a Proposal Format, and Where to Find Funders

A strong grant application is part storytelling and part discipline: you have to make a funder believe in your mission and prove you'll spend their money exactly as promised. This guide gives you the practical tips, a proposal format many institutional funders accept, and a starting list of funders to research. Tips That Win Grants Start early, and read the guidelines, then follow them exactly. Know the funder: match your project to their published priorities before you write a word. Make the summary stellar; many reviewers decide there. State plainly why this funder should support this request, ask for a

College Freshman Investing Advice: A Beginner’s Guide to Saving and Investing

This is a starting point for college students who want to understand the basics of saving and investing, compiled from principles that experienced investors come back to again and again. It is general education. We are not financial advisors, and nothing here is a recommendation for your specific situation. For decisions about your own money, talk to a qualified professional. The Few Principles That Matter Most If you remember nothing else, remember these. Pay yourself first. Before you spend on anything else, set aside money to save or invest. The Richest Man in Babylon puts it simply: a portion of